Chapter Thirty-Four
It was mid-morning the following day when a knock came at Peggy’s door. Annie looked up from the floor where she and Adam were playing with a wooden train set that Davey had collected on his rag-and-bone rounds. Levi had repainted it and it now looked brand new and Adam loved it.
Levi had gone out to help Tim on his rounds and Peggy frowned as she wiped her hands on her apron and made for the door. ‘I wonder who this could be.’ She opened the door and blinked in surprise. ‘Oh, er . . . you’d better come in. You’re lettin’ all the warm out.’
When Luca stepped into the room and respectfully removed his hat, Annie swallowed.
‘Good mornin’.’ He looked as uncomfortable as Annie felt as they stared at each other. ‘I hope yer don’t mind me comin’ round ’ere uninvited . . . But I feel I owe yer an apology.’
‘Come on, little ’un.’ Peggy hoisted Adam up onto her hip and headed upstairs. ‘Yer can come an’ ’elp Aunty Peggy pack, eh?’
Once they’d gone, an awkward silence settled on the room.
Finally, Annie said, ‘You’d best sit down.’
He crossed the room and lowered himself onto a sofa just an arm’s reach from Annie.
‘I . . . I’ve been a bloody fool,’ he said, and then flushed for swearing.
‘Sorry, that just slipped out, but it’s the truth.
Charity ’as never given me cause to think she’d been unfaithful, it were just me overreactin’.
An’ I know it’s too much to expect yer to ever forgive me, but I wanted yer to know that if I could turn the clock back I would.
I gather that little chap that just went upstairs is me grandson? ’
When Annie nodded, he sighed and swiped his hand across his face. ‘I’ve missed so much,’ he said quietly. ‘He looks a grand little feller. I had a good talk to Barney last night an’ he filled me in on yer life since his mam took yer to live wi’ them. I gather you ain’t always had it easy.’
Annie shrugged. What could she say? ‘I had Levi,’ she told him eventually. ‘And he’s been like a father to me. And Peggy.’
Luca flushed with shame. ‘The father I should ’ave been .
. . Anyway, I’ve took up enough o’ yer time.
I doubt Charity will ever forgive me, an’ I can’t say as I blame her.
I know what a pig-’eaded fool I’ve been.
I don’t expect you to, either, but at least I can tell yer ’ow sorry I am.
’ With that he rammed his hat back onto his thatch of thick black hair and turned for the door, his shoulders slumped.
He was almost there when Annie said unexpectedly, ‘Perhaps we could take it slowly? Get to know each other a bit, I mean. I understand you’re here for the winter so when I come to visit Peggy and Levi, perhaps I could call on you and Charity?’
His face lit up as he nodded enthusiastically. ‘I’d like that.’
‘Until next time then.’
He nodded again and left, closing the door quietly behind him.
Almost immediately, Peggy appeared with Adam sitting on her hip. ‘Well, what did ’e have to say?’
Annie sighed and swept the curtain of her hair across her shoulder. ‘He came to say how sorry he is and to emphasise that it wasn’t Charity’s fault,’ she told her quietly. ‘But I’m worried it might be too late.’
‘Hmm . . . But yer know it’s never too late. What I mean is, you know who they are now. Perhaps there’s still time fer you to build some sort o’ relationship wi’ Charity, at least. Just think on how you’ve longed to know where yer came from all these years. Well, now yer do.’
Annie gazed thoughtfully towards the window. Peggy was right. At least the mystery surrounding her parents and why she was abandoned was solved. She had a mother and a father who were still very much alive.
‘So, what do you think I should do?’
Peggy was silent for a moment before answering. ‘Well, my advice, fer what it’s worth, is to sleep on it, get used to the idea then go an’ see Charity before we leave fer London.’
Annie nodded. It sounded like sound advice.
The night before they were due to leave, Annie left Adam in Peggy’s care and set off for the circus.
It had occurred to her that not only had she discovered who her birth parents were, she’d also gained two siblings.
Mercy and her brother Noah were her brother and sister and she wondered if Charity or Luca had told them what had happened.
As she approached Charity’s trailer, Mercy emerged and for a moment they just stared at each other. Then suddenly Mercy flew down the steps and wrapped her arms about Annie with tears in her eyes.
‘Mam has told me everythin’,’ she breathed. ‘I’m still tryin’ to take it all in, but welcome to the family, Annie. I always wanted a sister.’
‘So did I,’ Annie told her in a shaky voice as she returned her hug.
Charity appeared on the steps and her face lit up at the sight of her. ‘Annie . . . I’m so glad yer came. I wanted to come and see yer but felt I had to give yer time to get your head around everything. Luca told me he’d been over. Come in, come in.’
Soon the three of them were seated inside, and Charity leant over and gripped Annie’s hand. ‘I was sure I was having a girl when I was carrying you,’ she said softly. ‘And I was going to call you Skye. But Annie is a pretty name. Who gave it to yer?’
‘Apparently it was Peggy. She was the one who found me on the workhouse steps. I suppose she thought it was as good a name as any.’
‘I’m hoping that we might be able to build some sort of relationship now that I’ve found yer.’ Charity sighed. ‘I’ve missed so much: your first smile, your first steps, your first tooth, you growing up and becoming a mam yerself. I’ll never forgive Luca for denying me that. I’m so very sorry.’
‘You have nothing to be sorry for,’ Annie told her soberly.
‘And strangely enough I don’t feel so angry with my .
. . Luca now, either. He must have loved you very much to be so jealous.
’ Annie still couldn’t bring herself to address Charity or Luca as Mother and Father and it was clear that Charity wasn’t going to push her to.
‘It’s not going to be easy to build our relationship, with you bein’ in London and us constantly on the road,’ Charity admitted.
‘But I could write to you, if yer wouldn’t mind me having your address.
That way I could let yer know where we are and for how long and perhaps you could bring Adam to see us from time to time?
’ She gave a tentative smile. ‘I can hardly believe that I’ve not only gained a daughter but a little grandson as well, I can’t wait to get to know him. If you wouldn’t mind, that is.’
‘No, I wouldn’t mind. And yes, I’ll let you have my address.’
They both seemed to sense that it was going to take time to build any sort of relationship, but they were willing to let things take their course.
‘When are you going back to London?’ Charity asked.
‘Tomorrow. We have to choose an outfit for Peggy for her wedding, so she and Levi are coming back with me.’
Charity tried to hide her disappointment. She’d hoped to see Annie for a little longer but under the circumstances she couldn’t expect her to alter her plans. She passed Annie a slip of paper and a pencil and Annie scribbled down her address while Mercy slipped away to fetch her baby daughter.
‘I suppose I should be getting back now,’ Annie said.
Charity nodded. ‘Of course. But will you at least have a cup o’ tea afore yer go? Oh, and meet yer new niece – she’s a little beauty. Who knows how long it might be afore we see you again.’
‘If you’re going to be staying here for the winter it shouldn’t be too long,’ Annie assured her as Charity rose and began to prepare some mugs for the tea. ‘I shall certainly be back for the wedding in December and very possibly before then.’
Mercy returned with the baby at that moment. Just as Peggy had said, she was absolutely beautiful, and Annie fell in love with her immediately.
‘We called her Skye, just like you were meant to be,’ Mercy told her.
For the next half an hour they chatted pleasantly about Mercy’s baby and Adam, and by the time Annie left she felt that the ice between them had been broken and they were more at ease in each other’s company.
She also realised that she was actually looking forward to seeing Charity again and wondered if that augured well for the future.